About Almeida:

The translation by King James is considered a milestone in the history of the Bible in Portuguese because it was the first translation of the New Testament from the original languages. Previously it was assumed that the Pentateuch was translated versions of Hebrew. According to these records, in 1642, at age 14, King James would have left Portugal to live in Malacca (Malaysia). He had joined the Protestantism from Catholicism, and transferred with the goal of working in the Dutch Reformed Church site.

He already knew the Vulgate, since his uncle was a priest. After converting to Protestantism at age 14, Almeida left for Batavia. At 16 he translated a summary of gospels Spanish to Portuguese, which was never published. In Malacca translated parts of the New Testament also Spanish.

At 17, he translated the New Testament from the Latin version of Theodore Beza, and have supported the Italian versions, French and Spanish.

At 35, he began the translation from works written in the original language, although it is a mystery how he learned these languages. Used based on the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and a 1633 edition (the Elzevir brothers) Textus Receptus. Used also translations of the time as the Castilian Reina-Valera. The translation of the New Testament was completed in 1676.

The text was sent to the Netherlands for review. The review process lasted five years, being published in 1681, after having been made more than a thousand changes [citation needed]. The reason is that the Dutch reviewers wanted to harmonize the translation to the Dutch version published in 1637. The East India Company ordered to collect and destroy the defective copies. Those who were saved were fixed and used in Protestant churches in the East, one of which is exhibited in the British Museum.

Almeida himself revised the text for ten years and published after his death in 1693. While he reviewed also worked in the Old Testament. The Pentateuch was completed in 1683. There is a translation of the Psalms that was published in 1695, annexed to the Book of Common Prayer, anonymous, but attributed to Almeida. Almeida could translate to Ezekiel 48:12 in 1691, the year of his death, and Jacobus op den Akker completed the translation in 1694.

The complete translation after many revisions, was published in two volumes, one in 1748, revised by himself den Akker and Christopher Theodosius Walther, and the other in 1753. In 1819, the British and Foreign Bible Society publishes a 3rd edition of the complete Bible, in one volume.

There are also editions printed in the Danish colony of Tranquebar, dating from 1719 to 1765. These are partial editions of the Bible, which were obtained as the auditors finished their work.